Musings while on the bike trail

I took a 12 1/2 mile spin on the Los Gatos Creek Trail this morning. It was great. I had a few thoughts while on my ride.....

If I call out to you "on your left" that means I am passing you on your left and request you move over a bit to the right. You don't need to freak out and jump, just move over a bit. Most people are very nice and say "thanks" and wave.

In my opinion, if you are on the trail with your headphones on, you are taking your life into your hands. You could get run over, mugged or worse. There HAVE been assaults on that trail. So why the hell would you run alone, at night, with headphones on? Yeah, it's a free country and you should be allowed to do that without getting hurt, but it doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do. Keep your wits about you and keep safe.

Pick up after your dog. 'Nuff said.

If you and your friends are strolling, four abreast and I call out "on your left" you don't need to give me the stink eye as I pass. You and your chubby friends are not entitled to hog the entire trail - it's there for all of us to use.

If you and your girlfriend are walking side by side with strollers, it's not enough if you move over two inches. There's still not enough room and I really don't want to crash into you. Please go single file for the five seconds it will take me to pass you.

If you are on a bike faster than me, please let me know when you are passing. It's scary to have someone whiz by you. I don't want to crash into you, either.

Wear a helmet. See previous post. I swear, I am going to become this crotchety old broad on the trail yelling out "where's your helmet?"

Ditch the cell phone... ditto the coffee. I don't get it and I feel bad about "dissing" my fellow women, but this seems to be a girl thing. You are strolling or walking on a nice bike trail for exercise - do you really need to be yapping into your cell phone? And what's the deal with the coffee? People can't seem to walk across the street or through a grocery store, for that matter, without sucking on a cup of Starbuck's.

Okay enough ranting. For now.... :)

Ride on!

I mentioned Pat and I have been doing more bike riding lately. This pic was taken last month at Berry Creek Falls which is somewhere in Big Basin State Park. We parked at Waddell Beach and rode mostly uphill and through the redwood forest. We locked up our bikes and hiked up to the falls, had lunch, hiked back down and rode out. All together it was about 12 miles on the bikes and 1.2 mile hike - a total of 2 1/2 hours. It was a great day - exercise, fresh air and nature.
We've been going at least twice a week any where from an hour to two and a half. I am loving the riding - getting addicted, even. I am developing an odd farmer tan, though.
Pat got me a speedometer/odometer computer thingy for my bike and I found out today that our Los Gatos Creek ride we take is not 10 miles, but 11.4. In the past four weeks I've ridden about 110 miles. It doesn't sound like that much, but a lot of it has been quite hilly. I've shed some weight and I can feel the difference in my legs. Now if only the weather will hold up.....

Helmet update

I read in the paper today that the mother of the little girl who was killed riding her bike is suing the school district. Hello? Who didn't buy her kid a helmet? I'm sorry for this tragedy, but the school district is not to blame. I don't understand people - a helmet costs around 30 bucks.

Shopping woes

I have had a hard time shopping lately. Mainly because my main shopping buddy, Laura, is away at school. I want to stay up to date looking, but don't want to look like a middle aged woman trying to look like a teenager - you've seen 'em. They look dumb. Laura is always the voice of reason for me, telling me "um, no" or "yeah, Mom, you can totally rock that"
I spent an afternoon yesterday at the mall and could not find a thing. I need new shoes - brown and black dress shoes. Apparently there is a big demand for Sister Mary Margaret shoes and hooker shoes. The look I am seeking is somewhere in between the two extremes. Sheesh, aren't there a lot of professional women who want a nice heel that doesn't look like you are seeking your next John?
I moseyed up the peninsula today to Stanford Shopping Center in search of shoes. I did find (what I thought) was a nice suit, but didn't have my Wa for critique. I took a pic of myself in the dressing room on my phone and sent it to Wa. She declared it "cute", so I bought it. Yeah, it's a lame way to shop with your daughter, but it worked. So I have a new suit that's been given the Wa seal of approval.
Now on to shoes..... I DID find some suitable shoes. Not too high heel, normal looking pump... the only problem is they were a bit pricey. Coach, Anne Klein and someone else had some really cute shoes. Only problem is they didn't fit into the family budget. These shoes were 100 bucks more than my hand made bunad shoes, which are the most expensive shoes I've ever purchased. I can't justify spending $700 on a couple pair of shoes right now. (Pat would have a stroke). Maybe if I just double ended a 2 million dollar pad at 6%.
I finally found some suitable shoes, but man, it's been a chore. Why does this have to be such a pain? When are the designers and purchasing people going to realize that we want a decent looking shoe at a decent price?